VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI broke his recent silence on the clerical-abuse scandal yesterday, complaining that the church was under attack but conceding that “we Christians” must repent for sins and recognize mistakes.
The main US victim-advocacy group immediately dismissed his comments, saying they are meaningless unless Benedict takes concrete steps to safeguard children from pedophile priests.
Benedict made the remarks during an off-the-cuff homily at a Mass in the Vatican.
“I must say, we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repent,’ which seemed too tough. But now under attack from the world, which has been telling us about our sins . . . we realize that it’s necessary to repent — in other words, recognize what is wrong in our lives,” Benedict said.
Abuse victims have demanded that Benedict take personal responsibility for the scandal, charging that the Vatican orchestrated a culture of cover-up.
“Factual disclosures are not ‘attacks’ and ‘penance’ protects no one,” said Mark Serrano, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.